Wheel-hub box.



J. D. JONES.

WHEEL HUB BOXv APPLICATION FILED SEPT 144910.

l,@2$,28?. Patented Mar. 12. 1912.

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JOHN JONES, OF WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON.

WHEEL-HUB BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Application flled September 14, 1910. Serial No. 582,104.

T all whom it may concern: Be it known that 1-, JOHN D. Jones, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Walla Walla, county of WValla \Valla, and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheel-Hub Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wheel hub boxes, and more particularly to a removable box or thimble forlwheel hubs having formed in its-middle portion, by a circumferential enlargement, an inwardly opening pocket or chamber for lubricant retaining material adapted to bear upon the bearing face of the axle or spindle'upon which it turns, which enlargement also removes the middle portion of said box which acts ordinarily as a fulcrum upon which the hub rocks after the ends of the spindle upon which it turns commences to wear, thereby to a considerable extent diminishing the wear upon said spindle.

Among the salient objects of the invention are,to provide a removable box orthimble for a wheel hub which is capable of being substituted for wheel boxes now in use and which is provided with a lubricant-receiving pocket or cha'mber opening through its bean ing face, whereby lubricant. is applied directly to the axle or spindle upon which it turns; to provide in such a box or thimblc a circumferential enlargement in the middle portion thereof and extending longitudinally thereof for a considerable part of its length, whereby to prevent the hub from rocking as the spindle or skein commences to wear at the ends thereof: to gl'orm such pocket or chamber so that its edges are undercut or overlapping and constitute a means for holding within said pockctor chamber lubricant packing which engages the spindle for a considerable area surrounding same, whereby lubricant therefrom is caused'to work toward each end of the box and to thoroughly lubricate the bearing faces of the box and axle under the wiping efi'ect therebetweenas the hub turns upon he axle; to provide in such a box or thimble and the hub thereof, a lubricant port or passageway therethrough from the exterior of said hub to the box or thimble and in communication with the retaining pocket thereof; to.provide in such a box or th ble a dust guard carried thereby, to prevent the admission of dust and dirt between the bearing faces of the box and axle upon which it turns; and, in general, to provide an improved, simple and effective bearing box or thimblc for hubs which can be read ily adapted to the hubs of wagon wheels in common use without expense and by means of which lubricant can be quickly and ell'ec tively applied to the bearing surfaces without removing the wheel from the axle.

The invention will be readily understood from the following description thereof, taken in connection with the drawings illustrat-ing the preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which;-'

F igure' 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a wagon wheel hub provided with a box or thimble embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of said box'or thimble removed from the hub; -and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a wheel hub, showing axle of spindle in place therein, and showing the position of the-enlarged middle portion forming the lubricating chamber relative to the spindle or skein upon which 'itturns.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a wagon wheel hub and 2 a boxor thimble inserted therein in the usual manner and adapted to turn therewith. Said 'box or thimble is adapted to be removed at will and to be used as a substitute for the boxes now in common use without reconstruction of the hub. In forming this box or thimble 2 1 form in the middle -portion-thereof an enlarged circumferentiallyi extending groove; as 3, opening through the'inner bearmg face thereof, and extending for a cons dcrable distance,relatively, of the length of.

the'box. This groove3 forms a pocket or chamber for a purpose to be presently "explained; The edges of 831d pocket or chum her are dove-tailed so as to overhang the pocket or chamber, as indicated at -l.in order to provide flanges for holdingwithin the pocket the loose. lulu'icant-retaining material such as wool oi other fibrous packing, as G. This. packing may be'prepared in' the form of a ring octube-of propel-size and length and put .into place so that the cdgesthereof rest under the pro ccting orovcrlap- 10B ping edge flanges of the pocket and by which the packing is re-tained'in its proper place. By reason of the flanges the iackin'g (i is wedged thereunder, and in the rotation of the hub and the packing the greatest pr ssure is. of course, at the under side of the axle pindlc with comparatively liille pre 12 at tin;

I as the spindle or skein and the box com upper side of the latter. Because of the last mentioned condition the packing at the.

upper side of the spindle would be liable'to sag and fall away from the groove 3, but by the formation of the dove-tailed flanges 4,

, and the wedging ofthe packing'Gthereunder, the packing is as securely. held within said groove while at the upper side of the spindle as at the lower side thereof. F urthermore, in the end thrust of the wheel, as when the same is placed upon or removed from the axle spindle, the wedging of the packing under the flanges 4 precludes dis placement of the packingfrom-the groove 3, so that the wheel is free to be moved in the manner noted without danger of loosening the packing-in the groove.

The pocketor recess, it will be noticed, is comparatively wide and is formed in: the middle portion of the box or .thimbl'e. This performs two important functions. It

forms a comparatively wide lubricating surface surrounding and engaging the spindle or axle upon which it turns and contains sufficient lubricant so that' the turning of the box upon the axle or spindle causes said lubricant to work toward each-end of the mence to wear at their opposite ends. This wear is more pronounced on the underside of the spindle or skein of the axle at the inner end of the hub, and on the up-.

per side thereofat the outer end thereof, as at the points designated 7 and 8, Fig. 3. The rocking or oscillating of the hub while it is turning upon the spindle or skein causes the bearings at these points .to wear in increasing ratio, and this rocking and the consequent wear are materially diminished by forming the .interior middle portion of the box as above referred to.

have found that the only practical way of forming this kind of pocket'or chamber in the box, is in its molding with properly constructed cores, but do not limit myself to any particular way of puttin the pocket or chamber in the box. In order to put lubricant into ,said pocket and the packing material contained therein, the hub is provided with an oil port or passageway, as 9, closed at its upper end with 'an automatic valve member, as 10, which may be of any desired type. Said passageway connects it .from the ordinary oil can, can be quickl and readily .put into the-packing materia within the box or thimble, 'where it i readily absorbed and applied to the bearing surface. I have also provided means to preventing dust and dirt, from working int said box orthimbleand injuring the bear ing faces of the box and spindle upoi which it turns. This means comprises ring of felt or other closely woven material as at. 12, retained ina circufnferentially ex tending pocket in the inside of said box 0 thimble. adjacent the inner end thereol This not only acts 'as an effective dust an dirt guard, but prevents any of-the lubri cant from working outthroughlth e end 0 the box.'-- T The inventionprovides not only a ver; simple and improved construction of lubri eating wheel box, but a construction. whic: is practicable for. the reason that itvsave labor and time, and being ada ted to th hubs in common use without t eir recor struction, it may be used to replace ther without muchcost.

I have shown the preferred f embodi'mer of the invention, which, briefly stated, coir prises a removable box or thimble, provide with a' comparatively wide, inwardly oper ing, lubricating pocket or chamber and wit a dust guardpconstructed to perform th functions stated, and I am aware thi slight changes can be made without depan ing from the spirit of the invention. I d

- not, therefore, limit the invention to the pa] ticular showing made for purposes of illu: tration only.

I claim:

A detachable rotatable packing box fc wagon wheels comprising, a box proper t: pering throughout its length and provide at its inner face with a circumferenti: groove of substantial area extending sul stantially equidistantly at both sides of tl central portion of the box, the ends of sai groovehaving overhanging flanges, a pac] ing tube of fibrous material arranged i said groove and wedged under said ove hanging flanges, whereby said packing tul is held in said groove against displacemel during endwise thrust of'the box in rel; tion to 'an axle spindle, and means for feet ing a lubricant to the packing tube in saf L. E. Maserati, LLOYD ARMSTRONG. 

